Description of organisation

Youth to Connect is a non-profit organization led by and for youngsters. We are a fusion of the former organizations SAMEN and Don Bosco Youth Net-Netherlands, and are part of Don Bosco Amsterdam. Our main aim is to create intercultural youth exchanges through European international volunteering. We offer European volunteering opportunities and guide and prepare our Dutch youngsters. Besides, we organize activities in the Netherlands to connect youth.

Youth to Connect consists of two coordinators and a core group of nine volunteers between the 18 and 25 years old. We have one thing in common: we all have had an experience abroad which helped us develop in terms of personal growth, engaged citizenship and cultural and social values. This experience has influenced our daily life and changed our perspective on the world. We think it is important that other youngsters also have the opportunity to gain such experiences. The world is changing and it is no longer self-evident to gain experiences abroad. From the desire to stay connected and to motivate other youngsters to gain new experiences Youth to Connect was founded.

We want to be a place of inspiration for ourselves and other youngsters. Our main goal is to connect youngsters from different backgrounds and stimulate intercultural exchange. We aim to build bridges between youngsters from different social backgrounds in the age of 15 to 30 years old. In this manner, more understanding between youngsters will be created.

Our main activities are first to offer Dutch youngsters a volunteering experience abroad with our European partner projects. Second, we organize activities in the Netherlands, such as webinars, photography workshops, dinners with street youth, and other out-of-your-comfort-zone activities.